Table Of Content“
The Object Lessons series achieves something very close
to magic: the books take ordinary—even banal—objects
and animate them with a rich history of invention,
political struggle, science, and popular mythology.
Filled with fascinating details and conveyed in sharp,
accessible prose, the books make the everyday world
come to life. Be warned: once you’ve read a few of these,
you’ll start walking around your house, picking up
random objects, and musing aloud: ‘I wonder what the
story is behind this thing?’”
Steven Johnson, author of Where Good Ideas
Come From and How We Got to Now
“
Object Lessons describes themselves as ‘short, beautiful
books,’ and to that, I’ll say, amen. . . . If you read
enough Object Lessons books, you’ll fill your head with
plenty of trivia to amaze and annoy your friends and
loved ones—caution recommended on pontificating
on the objects surrounding you. More importantly,
though . . . they inspire us to take a second look at parts
of the everyday that we’ve taken for granted. These are
not so much lessons about the objects themselves, but
opportunities for self-reflection and storytelling. They
remind us that we are surrounded by a wondrous world,
as long as we care to look.”
John Warner, The Chicago Tribune
“
Besides being beautiful little hand-sized objects
themselves, showcasing exceptional writing, the
wonder of these books is that they exist at all . . .
Uniformly excellent, engaging, thought-provoking, and
informative.”
Jennifer Bort Yacovissi,
Washington Independent Review of Books
“
. . . edifying and entertaining . . . perfect for slipping in
a pocket and pulling out when life is on hold.”
Sarah Murdoch, Toronto Star
“
. . . a truly terrific series of meditative reads.”
Megan Volpert, PopMatters
“
Though short, at roughly 25,000 words apiece, these
books are anything but slight.”
Marina Benjamin, New Statesman
“
The joy of the series, of reading Remote Control, Golf
Ball, Driver’s License, Drone, Silence, Glass, Refrigerator,
Hotel, and Waste . . . in quick succession, lies in
encountering the various turns through which each of
their authors has been put by his or her object . . . The
object predominates, sits squarely center stage, directs
the action. The object decides the genre, the chronology,
and the limits of the study. Accordingly, the author has
to take her cue from the thing she chose or that chose
her. The result is a wonderfully uneven series of books,
each one a thing unto itself.”
Julian Yates, Los Angeles Review of Books
“
The Object Lessons series has a beautifully simple
premise. Each book or essay centers on a specific
object. This can be mundane or unexpected, humorous
or politically timely. Whatever the subject, these
descriptions reveal the rich worlds hidden under the
surface of things.”
Christine Ro, Book Riot
“
. . . a sensibility somewhere between Roland Barthes and
Wes Anderson.”
Simon Reynolds, author of Retromania: Pop Culture’s
Addiction to Its Own Past
iv
A book series about the hidden lives of ordinary things.
Series Editors:
Ian Bogost and Christopher Schaberg
Advisory Board:
Sara Ahmed, Jane Bennett, Jeffrey Jerome Cohen, Johanna
Drucker, Raiford Guins, Graham Harman, rené e hoogland,
Pam Houston, Eileen Joy, Douglas Kahn, Daniel Miller,
Esther Milne, Timothy Morton, Kathleen Stewart, Nigel
Thrift, Rob Walker, Michele White.
In association with
BOOKS IN THE SERIES
Remote Control by Caetlin Benson-Allott
Golf Ball by Harry Brown
Driver’s License by Meredith Castile
Drone by Adam Rothstein
Silence by John Biguenet
Glass by John Garrison
Phone Booth by Ariana Kelly
Refrigerator by Jonathan Rees
Waste by Brian Thill
Hotel by Joanna Walsh
Hood by Alison Kinney
Dust by Michael Marder
Shipping Container by Craig Martin
Cigarette Lighter by Jack Pendarvis
Bookshelf by Lydia Pyne
Password by Martin Paul Eve
Questionnaire by Evan Kindley
Hair by Scott Lowe
Bread by Scott Cutler Shershow
Tree by Matthew Battles
Earth by Jeffrey Jerome Cohen and Linda T. Elkins-Tanton
Traffic by Paul Josephson
Egg by Nicole Walker
Sock by Kim Adrian
Eye Chart by William Germano
Whale Song by Margret Grebowicz
Tumor by Anna Leahy
Jet Lag by Christopher J. Lee
Shopping Mall by Matthew Newton
Personal Stereo by Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow
Veil by Rafia Zakaria
Burger by Carol J. Adams
Luggage by Susan Harlan
Souvenir by Rolf Potts
Rust by Jean-Michel Rabaté
Doctor by Andrew Bomback
Fake by Kati Stevens
Blanket by Kara Thompson
High Heel by Summer Brennan
Pill by Robert Bennett
Potato by Rebecca Earle
Hashtag by Elizabeth Losh (forthcoming)
Train by A. N. Devers (forthcoming)
Fog by Stephen Sparks (forthcoming)
Wheelchair by Christopher R Smit (forthcoming)
high heel
SUMMER BRENNAN
BLOOMSBURY ACADEMIC
Bloomsbury Publishing Inc
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50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP, UK
BLOOMSBURY, BLOOMSBURY ACADEMIC and the Diana logo
are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
First published in the United States of America 2019
Copyright © Summer Brennan, 2019
For legal purposes the Acknowledgments on pp. 155–56 constitute
an extension of this copyright page.
Cover design: Alice Marwick
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system,
without prior permission in writing from the publishers.
Bloomsbury Publishing Inc does not have any control over, or responsibility
for, any third-party websites referred to or in this book. All internet addresses
given in this book were correct at the time of going to press. The author and pub-
lisher regret any inconvenience caused if addresses have changed or sites
have ceased to exist, but can accept no responsibility for any such changes.
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN: PB: 978-1-5013-2599-1
ePDF: 978-1-5013-2601-1
eBook: 978-1-5013-2600-4
Series: Object Lessons
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For Emily Rose Martinez
